Horace h



UNITED STATES 1.N

HORACE H. DAY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY. e

PATENT OFFICE. N e

- INDIA-RUBBER sHoE.

Specification of` Letters @Patent No. 8,100, dated May 20, 1851.

To 'whom t concern.'

Be alknown that i, HORACE H.` meer Jersey City, in the county I-Iudsonand State of New Jersey, have" invented a new andjuseful Improvement in Elastic Overshoes and I hereby declare the following to be afull and eXact description of the same. y

The naturefof `my invention is the peculiar arrangement and combination of known materials to be used `inthe manufacturelof shoessuitable formen, women and children,

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principally as overshoes; by which means I produce shoes having ,'new and useful quali-` ties, never before "obtained,and at a less cost than any, known before my invention. 1 'Ihe material principally used `is india rubber, although a tolerably good result may be obtained froml some `of .the preparationsof gutta percha,'and the best from a combina- `tionof india rubber and guttapercha, properly` prepared, the whole vulcanized. Thepreparation and treatment ofrubber or gutta percha forms `no part of my present claim.` The shoe made by the Indians `of Brazil is clumsy, and the` inequalities-fof l States from sheets of rubber alone, have `been strengthened by increasing thefthickness `of the parts requiredmore firm, by adding parts ofthe same degree of elasticity, which meansthe shoes have been both expensive and clumsy,"or`if light, not suiiiciently strong to be durable. l

, My improvement, obviates these, among otherdifiiculties, and prevents to a great eX- tent the objection of cutting through 7 on the bottom. I am aware thatv shoes have been attempted to bemade elastic `and strong, by interposing between india rubber sheets of same degree of elasticity, cloth lor threads, and when thread or narrow tape hasbeen used, the spaces between thedisconnectedtape or thread would yield the spring. By this,` arrangement which was never successful, the elasticity or spring, was extended all over `the shoe, both where it was wanted and "where it was not wanted,

tape orjthread passed prevented any spring onsuch part, which was also found to cause breaks, or the giving away ofthe rubber at the point of junction.

By my method a uniform elasticity in every directionis obtained all over the shoe, `and diiferent degrees in different parts, and "asno cloth or thread Yis used, there is no .weak place or part to breakyor give out before the other.` By all these processes, the

`objectionable qualities as to go into disuse, and the best and only successful modenow elasticpreparations with cloth, or woven or rangement` and combination of these produce shoe having firmness and elasticity disposed in diiferentparts; but in none of these are the shoes made to stretch in all directions; and by allthe soles are quite firm and inelastic, and the shoes are otherwise objectionable as now made. Shoes formed by combining a lining of cloth to cover a part, or the whole of the inside of the shoe, soon in the rubber, or other elast-ic preparations. They cannot be turned inside y out, without the rubber, and therefore cannot be readily washed, and rapidly dried, and the necessary `expansion in putting on and on produces an undue strain upon the pointswherethe inelastic cloth and elastic preparation meet, causing the shoeto be torn or break at those points, or to become so weak as to lose their shape and become loose and unsightly upon the foot.

Shoes made accordingto` my plan have be broken, wet or to hold dust or dirt, every part has some elasticity in every direction, and allows among other advantages, the turning inside out, to wash, and dry, withyet preserving `all the required firmness and ductilityin the.parts exposed to most strain also clasp close to the boot or shoe upon which they are worn, and when `stretched in one part, will contract at others,`to make a more perfect fit than can be obtainedby `any other known means; without beingobncXious to breaking, or tearing the threads or cloth, or

` and the iirmness of the part over which the shoeslhave been found to possess sofmany remaining, is to combine rubber, or theother braided fabrics, or leather, and by the arbecome dirty, and the clothfrom frequent wetting `becomes rotten, leaving weak places no thread, tape, cloth or leather in them to out breaking tearing or destroying the shoe,

and wear, as well as throughout the shoe y which` it retains. `By my method they will e n the objectionable qualities of other kinds which possess in any degree this quality. For instance, if a No. three shoe made on my plan, is a little too short and too wide for a person who wears No. four, the spring of the sole being mostly in the shank, it will elongate without perceptible injury to the strength and firmness at the heel, and on the ball, and having no cloth in the upper or sole, will contract sufiiciently in width while the firm part will always be adjusted lat the point most exposed to wear, without weakening those parts. Again shoes made according to my plan, having any desirable elongation, and lateral expansion in all the parts, and being vulcanized or otherwise treated to possess permanent elasticity, may be adjusted to different boots or shoes, over which they may be required to be worn by the same person at different times, without being injured or rendered unfit for a. smaller shoe, and without causing any breaking of the fibrous materials added in other shoes to give firmness and inelasticity, and are therefore more economical.

By my invention the quality of cheapness will be found one of great importance to manufacturers. When cloth linings and cloth stays are used to impart firmness, or for other purposes in the manufacture of shoes, the cuttings and waste amount to from one quarter to one third of the cost of the prepared cloth leather or such article as is used; while by my method not one ounce of material need be wasted in the manufacture of a thousand pairs of shoes all the 'clippings being worked over, and yet the exact strength and firmness can be disposed upon those parts exposed to the strain, and wear, and the shoe rendered light and elegant, yet rm strong and easy to the foot.

The facility of putting on and olf my shoe without squeezing the fingers, tearing offl the nails, or tearing the shoe, is of itself a quality of great importance and economy and which has never been possessed by any shoe having the other distinguishing qualities of mine.

To enable others skilled in the manufacture of india rubber or gutta percha to make my improvement, I describe the combination and arrangement, which I find most convenient and economical.

All the materials are first to be manufactured into sheets of such thickness as may be found desirable, (and according to the modes known to manufacturers of india rubber and gutta percha and for the purpose of brevity, I number the sheets, No. one, No. two, No. three, No. four. No. one should be the most elastic, and so made as to stretch about three or four times its twice its quiescent length. No. three should be still firmer, say to stretch when cut into strips and vulcanized, once its quiescent length. No. four should have much less spring than either of the others, say from five to fifteen per cent. of its quiescent length. These all being ready, I procure shoe lasts of the proper size, and form, which may be made without blocks. I cutfrom No. two or No. three an insole M, and tack it fast to the botto-m of the last, pressing it down to conform to the rounded form of last. I next cut what for facility of description I will call the lining A from No. two or No. three. This I usually cut of such size and shape as will extend up the side and over the toes about one to three inches, acording to the size and kind of shoe, see letter A, in Fig. one this may be cut with a seam at the side, or at the heel, and being fitted to the last, is lapped about half an inch on to the insole, to which it immediately becomes attached by pressure. The tacks are then withdrawn from the insole, and any fold skived off with a wet knife. I then cut from No. fo-ur a stiening which should reach about half an inch more or less from the insole up the side of the last, at the heel, this being stuck fast, V

the heel see O in Figs. two and three. I

next cut from No. three o-r four a middle piece C Fig. 3, which I will call side strip. This should be attached to the lining extending from back of the big toe joint around the toes, and back to the hollow or shank, lapping on to insole, and on to lining,

more or less according to the fancy of the maker, and the extent to which additional firmness may be required. .I then after rolling these fast to the insole, to which they are firmly united, extending more or less, (half an inch will do) skive off the projections, and cut from No. three or four a sole II see Fig. 2 to extend from heel to toe, except say two or three inches in the shank, attach and sole fast. The shoe is then ready for the outside or upper D Fig. 4 and sole E. I cut from No. one a piece large enough to form the entire upper, turn over the upper edge, or adopt any other well known mode of binding, to which binding I make no claim. This is to be placed on the last over the otherpieces, and lap on the bottom about half an inch, more or less. I then cut an outsole E Fig. 4c from No. one two or three, and stick fast, and being well rolled, or hammered, the stitching iron may be applied in the usual way, when the shoe still remaining on the last,

is submitted to heat for vulcanizing, Land is then ready for market. It is evident that these dierent materials may be disposed and combined together in various ways to produce the requisite different degrees of elasticity for the different parts of the boot or shoe. That described will serve to give a workman suicient instructions to use my improvement.

To prepare No. one or N0.two is so gen.

erally well known and understood by those accustomed `to manufacturing and vulcanizing rubber, and gutta percha that no par-i ticular description `need be given.`

The sheets No. three or No. four I prepare by combining a large quantitylof Whiting or similar cheap material with the rubber or gutta percha, and other materials necessary i'n vulcanizing-or I combine rubber and gattaA percha together `say-one part of gutta percha to one and one half of rubber,

. or I combine fibers of cotton, or linen to be ground up withfthe rubber or gutta percha,

or with both.

The preparation or manufacture of. these, form no part of my present claim, and is only referred to, to `give a more full description Vof the means, usedby me, to obtain the dierent degrees of elasticity; j

My invention is intended to cover the use `of any or all of these when used in combination for the purpose of my shoe.

Shoes made according to` my discovery` have the following advantages overthose heretofore made: l

l. They can bel produced at nearly one half the cost of any other manufactured shoe. There need not be a pound of waste in a thousand pair of shoes, whereas 1in all other manufactured rubber shoes the waste in cutting linings and stays, stiifening, &c.,

is a large item` of expense, in loss of leather or cloth and the rubber attached to them. My shoe can also be made much faster than any other kind, and altogether by girls and boys.

2. They are not liable to break and tear as those do, the` uppers of which are art cloth, or stays of thread, leather and ot ier fibrous fabric; for at the joining parts of such with the rubber, the strain on the rubber fre- `quently causes a tear or rent, at the points of junction, or the cloth Orthreads become wet, mildewed rotten and hence produce weak placeswhich soon yield toI pressure.

3. My shoes can be turned inside out `and j washed clean, Without breaking or tearing the same, w'hile those heretofore made cannot be turned without liability of breaking or tearing the rubber, or the cloth which forms a part of the shoe.

4. The dispensing with the use of all linings or cloth stays, insoles, &c., produces a very light shoe, leaves no lodging places for mud and dirt, or dust which frequently ren` ders the inside of other manufactured rubber shoes liable to soil the upper of the boot or shoe over which they are worn consej quent upon the use of cloth linings.

5. `They can be easily put on and off without straining or wrenching the lingers, and

can be made to lit the exact shape of the boot while the elasticity given to the shank, and different degrees of elasticity in other parts will cause a perfect fit about the heel, and

toe; and the arrangement of the upper allows the same across the foot.

. 6. The shoe made by my method will admit any desirable elongation and lateral eX- "pansion in all its parts, to adjust to different boots or shoes, over which it may be required to be worn by the same person atdiiferent times, while that part exposed to the most wear will always be in the right position,

over the dierent boots or shoes-thereby affording convenience and economy to the wearer.

Having described the advantages of my improvement and the best way known to me `of manufacturing the same, what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The manufacture of rubber boots and shoes without cloth being made of separate pieces of dierent `degrees of elasticity, and each piece having its peculiar and requisite degrees, the shoe, to `possess di'erent de ees of elasticity in different parts, and uni orm `elasticity in each dierent part, and having 

